OF POULTRY. 
283 
perly," and if done regularly, there was but little to do ; 
but if she trusted it to any one else, then the fowls might 
do it themselves. She had the house cleaned out every 
morning ; and in hot weather she changed the nests once a 
week, using but little straw ; that is to say, she changed so 
many each morning, and all the clearings out were taken 
directly to the dung-heap. She never allowed her brooding 
hens to sit in the hen-house ; but, not having an orchard, 
she had a shed built in the garden purposely for them, and 
properly partitioned off, so that the fowls could not see each 
other ; and thereby they were kept from fighting. As soon 
as a hen brought forth her chickens, the old nest was burnt, 
the box lime washed, and a new nest put in. By these 
means she always kept the vermin under, which otherwise, 
she says, not only drive hens to lay astray, but cause 
sitting hens to spoil their eggs, by jarring and shaking them, 
througli wriggling and twisting about on the nest, while 
searching after the tormenting fleas. 
Her coops were like large boxes, made of stout inch fir, two 
feet six inches square, and two feet high. The back and front 
opened up, so that they could be propped up or thrown back 
on the top. Both sides were wired in with strong iron 
wire, set wide apart, with the centre ones loose, so as to 
slide up and down, to put the hen in, or let her out. These 
coops I considered an excellent contrivance, because in cold, 
tempestuous weather, she could shut down one flap ; so that 
it stood with its back to the wind ; and these flaps also 
sheltered them from both sun and rain, while the wooden 
bottom not only prevented the hen from scratching, but 
formed a nice dry spot for the chickens to clutch on. IsTor 
was this all ; for when evening came, and the hens had 
gathered their chickens under their wings. Aunt Jane 
would fasten down the flaps for the night ; and then they 
were safe, not only from the weather, but from the attacks 
of vermin also. 
I must tell you, that on one occasion, some five years ago, 
she had a narrow escape with all her brood-chickens. She 
contracted with a rat-catcher, for ten shillings a month, to 
keep her free from vermin ; and, though he did his work 
most faithfully, still, one night in spring, a body of migra- 
tory rats came and attacked her hen-coops. Now, whether 
